Teaching English Culture
Dr. K. Seon Jeon
Teaching English Culture
CNU International Summer School 2016
Instructor: Dr. K. Seon Jeon
Phone: 010-3024-7433
Email:
Course Description
This course explores the various aspects of American language and culture. The course will focuses on contemporary issues of America and how language plays a role in shaping the culture of America.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate familiarity with linguistic terms which are used to describe language as a system.
- Develop a higher level of metalinguistic awareness (i.e. the ability to look at language as a study subject) and cross -cultural awareness.
- Articulate the social, political, and educational issues related to language.
- Identify important values of American culture and language.
- Develop an understanding of issues related to bilingualism or multilingualism and English as a global language.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Reading packet with a collection of essays from the following two references:
1. Clark, V., Eschholz, P. & Rosa, A. (eds.) (2008). Language: Introductory readings 7th edition, Bedford/St. Martins, New York.
2. Kirszner, L. and Mandell, S. (2011). The Blair Reader. Pearson.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Written Assignments (60%): There will be a weekly written assignment to be submitted by 5 PM each Friday. The assignments are basically reading questions from your assigned reading. The instructor will hand out the questions to be answered in your written assignment each week.
Oral Presentation (30%): Each student will be in charge of presenting three to four essays to present to class. A comprehensive summary of each essay needs to be presented to class on the assigned date and responsible students will lead the discussion at the end of the presentation. Please prepare a set of powerpoint slides for your presentation.
CLASS PARTICIPATION (10%): You are required to participate in class discussions and activities. Class participation grade is determined based on the quantity and quality of your efforts at class discussions and activities. Please note that your number of absences will affect this grade.
GRADES: Final letter grades will be based on the following scale:
A= 90=100% B= 80-89% C= 70-79 % D=60-69% F=below 60%
NOTE: Cheating is prohibited. All work assigned to individuals must be done by the individual student without any assistance from any person other than this professor. The control of cheating is everyone’s business. During exams, keep your answers covered. Simply do your own work, and let others do their own. Lastly, if you know of cheating, report it to your professor.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is the presentation of another’s work or ideas as one’s own. Any act of plagiarism will result in the course grad of “F”. Plagiarism includes the failure to credit either direct quotes or paraphrased information, as well as submitting unpublished work written by someone else under your own name. Questions regarding the definition of plagiarism should be directed to the instructor before work is submitted for grading.
COURSE CALENDAR
Week 1
Day 1: Self-introduction /Why Language?
Reading:
Harvey A. Daniels, "Nine ideas about language?"
George A. Miller, "Nonverbal communication"
Day 2: American culture/Culture Shock
Reading:
Dealing with culture shock and getting adjusted
What is American culture
http://www.yale.edu/oiss/life/cultural/americans/indeux.html
http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decades.html
Day 3: Issues in Education
Reading:
Maya Angelou, "Graduation"
Bich Minh Nguyen, "The Good immigrant student"
Lynda Barry, "The Sanctuary of School"
Day4: Language and culture/ politics of language
Reading
Richard Rodriguez, "Aria"
Amy Tan, "Mother Tongue"
Frederick Douglas, "Learning to read and write"
Week 2
Day 5 : Language and culture/ politics of language
Reading:
Stephen Caldas and Suzanne Caron-Caldas, "Rearing bilingual children in a monolingual culture"
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, "Metaphors we live by"
Laura Bohannan, "Shakespeare in the Bush"
Day 6: Gender, language and identity
Reading:
Deborah Tannen, "I'll explain it to you: lecturing and listening"
Fern L. Johnson, "Discourse Patterns of Males and Females"
Judy Brady, "Why I want a wife"/ Glenn Sacks, "Stay-at-home dads"
Day 7: Media and Society
Reading:
Brent Staples, "What adolescents miss when we let them grow up in cyberspace"
Dave Taylor, "Does social networking really connect you to humanity?"
Day 8: Social interaction and dialects/language variation in America
Reading:
Paul Roberts: Speech communities
Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes, "Standards and vernaculars"
Oakland School Board, "Oakland school board resolution on Ebonics (Amended version)
Week 3
Day 9: Learning language and culture
Reading:
Genie the wild child documentary
Day 10: Learning language and culture
Reading:
Georga A. Miller and Patricia M. Gildea, "How children learn words"
Day 11: Language learning and culture
Reading:
Victoria Fromkin, Stephen Krashen, Susan Curtiss, David Rigler, and Marilyn Rigler, "The development of language in Genie: A case of language acquisition beyond the critical period'
Day 12: Global English
Reading:
David Crystal, "Why a global language?"
Richard W. Bailey, "Attitudes toward English: The future of English in South Asia"
Week 4
Day 13: Religion in America
Reading:
Langston Hughes, "Salvation"
Tenzin Gyatso, Dalai Lama XIV, "Our faith in science"
Day 14: Religion in America/ Saving the planet (environmental issues in America)
Reading:
John F. Kennedy, "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute"
Rachel Carson, "The obligation to endure"
John Muir, "American forest"
Day 15:TBA
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